


baby of mine, don’t you cry

by CyrusBreeze



Series: Baby of Mine [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Gen, Transgender Tony Stark, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 15:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14596479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrusBreeze/pseuds/CyrusBreeze
Summary: Tony Stark found out he was pregnant at nineteen years old. And so, he made the hardest decision of his life.





	baby of mine, don’t you cry

**Author's Note:**

> My hand slipped and I wrote this in an afternoon
> 
> This is super angsty, and it’s basically Tony giving up Peter. It’s angsty and tearful. 
> 
> CW for abortion mention/discussion, adoption from the view of a birthparent, as well as a blink and you’ll miss it reference to child abuse.

Tony Stark was 19 when he found out that he was pregnant. He was in his third year of his doctorate program at MIT, and everything seemed to be falling apart. 

He was dating a guy named Brady, who was 24 and in graduate school at Berklee, and telling Brady had not gone well. 

“When’s the termination appointment?” He asked. 

And when Tony had mentioned that he planned to keep the pregnancy, Brady had wished him luck, packed his shit, and walked away. 

Obadiah wasn’t of much help either. He suggested to Tony that termination was best, especially if he wanted to be taken seriously as a transgender man. 

And Tony had made the appointment. He had walked into Planned Parenthood with every intent to terminate, but then he sat in the waiting room and realized that he couldn’t do it. 

This could be his last chance at a child. He’d be starting T later in the year, and with it his fertility chances would very likely diminish. 

So he left the clinic. 

Two months later he found out that he was going to have a son. 

And he told no one that he was still pregnant until he was past the cutoff for termination. 

Obadiah was furious when he found out. He gave Tony two options: give the child up for adoption or lose all rights to his company. 

Tony was not yet 21, so Obadiah could do whatever he wanted with the company as Tony’s trustee, and Tony couldn’t fight him on it, not for another year at least, and by then he’d have a toddler to support. 

If he lost the company, he would have no money and no income. He would have no way to be a father. And what type of father would he be anyway? Would he be just like his old man? Cold, distant, abusive, and obsessed with his work. If he had no money would he even be able to supply his son with the things he deserved? 

So Tony met with the adoptive agency. 

He spent hours looking through the profiles, trying to find a family that best fit his son. None of them seemed to work, but Tony knew he had no other choice, not if he wanted to give his child the life that they deserved. 

And then finally, on the fourth book he was offered, he found them. 

He met Mary and Richard Parker three weeks before his due date. They were high school sweethearts who had been married for a decade. They both worked at Oscorp doing research, but Mary planned to stay home with the baby for the first year of his life. They were also both extremely liberal. They had struggled with infertility for nine years. The only issue was that they wanted an open adoption. 

“I can’t,” Tony told them. “If you take him, I can’t see him again.” He didn’t think he’d be able to go through the pain of letting him go over and over again. Perhaps it was just best for both of them to move on. 

“We’d like for him to grow up knowing who his parent is,” Mary argued. “It’s important to us.” 

“I can’t see him again,” Tony repeated. “And besides, if word ever gets out that I have a child, he will be a prime target for kidnapping and ransom. Please,” Tony begged. “I like you guys and I want you to be his parents, but I can’t and won’t do it if it means I have to see him.” 

Richard nodded solemnly. “Can we send pictures at least?” He asked. “We want you to at least be able to watch your son grow up.” 

“Pictures are fine,” Tony relented. “I just can’t see him.”

They agreed, and they signed the preliminary paperwork that afternoon. 

His son was born two weeks later. He was small, with dark hair and gorgeous baby blue eyes, and from that moment in Tony knew he was a goner. 

He asked for twenty-four hours with his son before he handed them over to his parents. 

He spent that time staring at the boy. He was so small, so perfect. Tony wondered how we would ever be able to hand him over. He stared at his son. 

“Hey, little man,” he whispered, because he wanted his son to know why he did it, even if his son would never remember this conversation. “I know this isn’t ideal, and believe me, little man, I wanted to keep you. Buy Mary and Richard offer you things that I can’t give you. Support, stability, two parents. They know how to balance their work and life, and they probably don’t spend 18 hours a day in their lab. I love you so much, little man. That’s why I’m doing this. I know the world seems big and scary right now, but I promise. I swear. You are going to be so happy. Y’know, my mom was an amazing person, and she used to sing this song to me when I was a kid. I’m not very good at singing, but I hope you like my voice anyway.”

The baby cooed as if offering his approval. 

“ _Baby mine, don't you cry_ ,” Tony began.  
“ _Baby mine, dry your eyes_  
Rest your head close to my heart  
Never to part, baby of mine.” His voice broke at the last line. They were going to part. And he was most likely never going to see his son again. “ _Little one when you play_  
Pay no heed what they say  
Let your eyes sparkle and shine  
Never a tear, baby of mine.”

He hummed the rest because he couldn’t remember the words. Then, he spent the rest of the night memorizing his son. He didn’t want to miss a single second with the boy. He wasn’t a stranger to pulling an all nighter, and staying up with his baby felt so easy. 

He thought, perhaps, that he could do it. But then he realized that he would be penniless, homeless, and a single parent to boot, and it was no world for a child, especially not one as precious as his son. 

He signed the paperwork once the drugs wore off, scribbling his name and signing over his parental rights. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, and still, the worst was yet to come. 

Richard and Mary came in an hour after he signed the papers.

“How are you feeling?” Mary asked. 

“Tired,” Tony answered honestly. “Would you like to meet him?” 

Mary nodded enthusiastically. She stepped forward, and Tony placed the tiny boy in her arms. 

It was the look of pure adoration in Mary’s eyes that solidified Tony’s decision. His son was going to be so happy and so loved. He wasn’t ever going to be mistreated. And that’s all Tony could ask for. 

He turned to Richard, who was peering at the baby over his wife’s shoulder. 

“Does he have a name?” Tony asked. 

Richard nodded. “It’s Peter, Peter Benjamin, after Mary’s father and my brother.”

“I like it,” Tony said. His voice broke. 

Tony was required to spend another 36 hours in the hospital, so Peter spent time with both him and the Parkers. It was the law for Tony to carry his son out of the hospital, so that’s what he did. 

Handing over his son for the last time was the hardest thing Tony had ever done. He had pictures of Peter, but they would never be enough. Nothing would compare to holding his son. 

“I love you so much,” he whispered to his son. Then, he inhaled sharply, and he handed his little boy to Mary. 

The car seat was already installed. Mary and Richard were going to be great parents. 

“We can’t thank you enough,” Richard said as Mary placed Peter into his car seat. 

“I’m glad that I could help you guys complete your family,” Tony said. “And I’m glad that Peter is going to be so happy.” 

He shook Richard’s hand. Once Peter was in his car seat, Mary turned to face him. 

“Thank you,” She said, throwing her arms around Tony. 

Tony relaxed into the hug.

“Don’t tell him about me, please,” Tony begged. “But make sure that he knows I loved him, that I will always love him.” 

“Of course,” Mary said as she pulled away. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. “Call us if you need anything or if you change your mind about seeing him,” she instructed as she pressed the business card into his hand. 

Tony nodded. Then, he steeled himself. This was going to be the hardest part. “Goodbye,” he uttered, and already found that his voice was cold and hard. 

“Goodbye, Tony,” Richard said as he walked around to the driver’s side. 

“Goodbye, Tony,” Mary said. “We’ll send you some pictures in a month, and then we’ll go from there, okay?” 

Tony nodded. 

Then, Mary got into the car. 

Tony stood there. And he stood there until they had driven away, until he could no longer see their car. 

Then, he took this moment, his last memory of his son, and he put it into a box. He put the box under his heart. After all, the place under his heart had kept his son safe for nine months, it could keep his son’s memory safe for the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Loved it? Hated it? Please comment and validate my soul. 
> 
> There will be a sequel, hopefully. We shall see.


End file.
